Yes, Lady Funina!

"On the day of the incident, the Thorn Rose Society and its guests held a banquet in the wild, in the manor belonging to the Cabrière Chamber of Commerce. During the banquet, all the guests heard two gunshots outside the house. When everyone arrived, the suspect Carres was holding a gun, and Jacques, who was meeting him, was shot and killed. After investigating the scene, the security team members did not find any other guns, so they believed that the suspect's first shot missed, and the second shot killed Jacques."

"None of these inferences were denied by the suspect, Kares, and he did not protest. Instead, he chose to prove his honor through a duel. In the duel, the suspect was defeated by the duel agent Clorinde and died as a result."

"That's the overall situation. Ms. Navia, do you have anything to add?"

Navia shook her head. Villette's account of the events was already very detailed and she had nothing to add.

Marcelle stood up and said, "Navia, I know that what happened back then was unacceptable to you. In fact, I also believe that Mr. Cares is innocent, but this is not a reason for you to accuse me without reason, right?"

"I watched you grow up. As an elder, I should forgive your mistakes, but do you know that what you did is also hurtful to me?"

Marcelle even squeezed out a tear or two as she spoke, perfectly portraying the image of a victim who was falsely accused by a willful girl just to prove her father's innocence.

The balance in the hearts of everyone present continued to tilt towards Marcelle under her superb acting skills.

The other party cleverly stood in the position of an elder, using gratitude, family affection and many emotional factors to successfully win the sympathy of everyone present and put Navia in an irrefutable situation.

And this is when Navia's agent, Funina de Fontaine, needs to come on stage!

Volume 83: Chapter Have you always been so brave?

"That's wrong, Mr. Marcelle. Navia is suing you because we have sufficient evidence to prove that you are not as innocent as you seem."

Like a famous detective, Funina adjusted her nonexistent glasses, pointed at Marcelle and said loudly, "According to the intelligence we have, you, Mr. Marcelle, are the real murderer behind the murder at the manor, and also the culprit behind the serial disappearance of young girls!"

As soon as these words came out, the whole place was in an uproar.

"Aren't we talking about the manor murder case now? How is it connected to the serial disappearance of young girls? Could Lady Funina have made a mistake?"

"Yes, and I remember that the defendant was initially charged with 'disrespecting the water god'. How come it's suddenly linked to the serial disappearance of young girls?"

"Although, don't you think this unexpected development is very interesting and in line with Lady Funina's style?"

"Indeed, indeed. Such a dramatic development makes me even more curious about the upcoming trial! As expected of Lady Funina, she understands us Fontaine people so well!"

……

After a brief commotion, the audience accepted what Funina said and showed great interest in this extraordinary development.

"Ms. Furninna, do you have any evidence for your inference?" asked Villette.

"Of course, but before that, there is one thing that everyone present must know."

"Some time ago, a group of daring criminals attacked me in the wilds of Baisong Town. Of course, everyone knows the result of that attack. As a god, how could the attacks of mere mortals pose a threat to me? I didn't even need to take action. I could take down all these lunatics with just my secretary general."

"But the matter is not over yet. Because the matter is too bizarre, the situation at that time was not fully revealed during the trial. Instead, some things were concealed. This is also what I requested. In order to avoid unnecessary panic, I hope to wait until everything is clear before telling my people about it."

"I think it's time now." Finina clapped her hands, and then the staff in the audience came to the center of the stage with a dozen confidential documents.

"In fact, we missed arresting a person in that attack case. That person was also the leader of that group. The reason why we missed arrest was not because he ran away, but because he was dissolved into water right under the noses of me and my secretary general Richard!"

After Funina finished speaking, the staff opened the confidential file and read out the confessions of the people involved in the case recorded on the file.

Many members of the treasure-stealing group who were present at the time also witnessed this scene and mentioned it in their subsequent confessions.

A person can lie, but if many people witness it with their own eyes, then it can be basically confirmed that it is true. Moreover, Furninna herself has no need or motivation to lie.

However, because what Furninna said was so horrifying, even though there was corresponding evidence to prove it, it was still difficult for the audience to accept this statement at the first time.

"Lady Funina just said that people were dissolved into water? How is this possible? Are you sure this is not a new play that Lady Funina is rehearsing?"

"But those are the investigation reports issued by the Law Enforcement Court. There is absolutely no need for Lady Funina to lie about such things, right?"

"Let's hear what Lord Villette has to say?"

Navillatte, who was sitting in the judge's seat, tapped the floor heavily with his cane, making a dull sound. He said, "Pay attention to the order of the trial."

"What Ms. Funina said is true. According to the investigation of the [Law Enforcement Court], it can be basically confirmed that the leader of the treasure-stealing group did turn into water in front of Ms. Funina and Mr. Richard when they went out for an outing."

"Well, Villette, that's called working outside the office, it's a business trip, not an outing!" Funina corrected him quickly, saying that you should not talk nonsense or you will be held legally responsible.

The way you say it makes it sound like you are on a date with a young couple.

"...Let's just say that." Villette said reluctantly, "In any case, although it is incredible that people turned into water, it did happen. Since Ms. Funina said that she has figured out the reason, please continue."

"The mystery of how to dissolve a person into water is actually hidden in a banned drink called 'Les'. According to our investigation, the raw materials used to make this banned drink contain an ingredient called 'original fetal sea water'. The reason why 'Les' can make people excited and produce many pleasant hallucinations is precisely because of 'original fetal sea water'."

"In essence, 'Les' is a product diluted with normal drinking water. If the original fetal sea water is not diluted and the Fontaine people drink it directly or come into contact with it, it will dissolve the people directly into water."

"Am I right? Mr. Marcelle, the inventor of 'Les'...or rather, Vache." Funina looked sharply at Marcelle who was not far away.

Marcelle was silent for a moment, as if he was still planning to fight back. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Funina continue.

"When Viniel sees you like this, he probably won't be able to recognize you or dare to acknowledge you, right?"

This sentence can be said to be both silent and defense-breaking.

Marcelle's eyes could be seen to turn red and bloodshot in an instant. His uncontrollable emotions caused his body to tremble slightly, and the trembling became more and more obvious as he suppressed it. Finally, the trembling stopped. The old man, who was nearly fifty years old, finally took off the mask he had worn for more than ten years.

"Vinyl, you said Viniel... hehe, if she can come back, what does it matter if she doesn't recognize me?" Marcelle's voice was not loud, but anyone who heard it could hear the despair in her words.

"So you admit that you are Vash? In order to get your dissolved lover Vinel to return to you, you kept looking for girls to conduct human experiments, which led to a series of disappearances of girls that have not been solved yet. At the same time, the 'Les' you sold also destroyed countless families, and you even went so far as to frame Zeng Youen and your boss Mr. Cares." asked Finina.

"Admit it or not? Does it matter? Since you already know this, you must have been to that place, right?"

"How is it? Now you know that people can be dissolved into water, right? Why...why didn't anyone believe me back then? No one helped me, not even one person believed me. Decades ago, even the people in the Law Enforcement Court told me..."

"How can a person dissolve into water? You said I must have had an accident and went crazy. Vignelle's death was ignored by all of you just because it was insignificant!"

"Now you know, it's too late! Those who have been dissolved can never come back!"

"This is all your fault, blame the water goddess Furninna! What a grand trial, pursuing justice, pursuing farce, and turning a blind eye to the suffering of ordinary people! Vinel is dead! I made an agreement with her that we would go together no matter where we go! This is the agreement we have always made!"

As she spoke, Marcelle pulled out a bottle of original fetal sea water from her arms, opened the bottle cap and drank it all with "ton ton ton". The fishy and salty sea water overwhelmed her taste buds, but Marcelle seemed to feel nothing at all.

He collapsed and leaned against the railing of the dock, roaring to the crowd: "But I'm not from Fontaine, I can't dissolve!"

"I can't dissolve, I can't dissolve, I can't dissolve! See? I can't go, I can't go... Isn't it the only way I can think of to bring her back?"

"In the end, it's all in vain. Was this the clue that old dog Cares left for you?" Marcelle threw the empty bottle on the ground casually. He raised his cloudy eyes and looked at Finnina, then at Navia, and finally fixed his eyes on Richard.

Furniture also turned around and looked at Richard, and it was this action that allowed Marcelle to identify the real culprit who exposed her.

"It's you, Richard, the executive secretary of the City Hall... I have no grudge against you, so why are you meddling in my business?"

Marcelle couldn't understand why big shots like Richard and Fernina would come and meddle in other people's business.

"It was just a coincidence. The reason I know all this is because I accidentally found these things while searching for the ruins, so I dealt with them."

"It's like a pest crawling in front of you. It's just a matter of convenience to step on it and kill it. Why not do it?" The answer Richard gave was much simpler than Marcelle expected.

Originally, Marcelle thought that Richard was investigating because of Les, and she found Navia of the Rose Thorn Society, and then got the clues left by Cares, which eventually led to the exposure of her identity.

Unexpectedly, all this was just the result of an exploration of ruins, just like the ruins he and Vinel accidentally stepped into that year.

Should we say it was God's will or was it fate's cruel mockery of him?

However, Marcelle was wrong about one thing. This was not considered as meddling in Richard's affairs. After all, the existence of Les was a cancer to the entire Fontaine.

"Do your job well." This is the philosophy that Richard has always adhered to. Since he is the executive secretary of Fontaine and is paid by Fontaine, he naturally has to work for Fontaine.

"Oh, is that really the case? I have been cautious for more than ten years, but in your mouth it becomes an insignificant little thing..." Marcelle seemed to have lost all support and just collapsed on the ground with her head drooping, as if dead.

"Crushing you to death is a small matter, but what you have done is not a small matter. For the rest of your life, please reflect on yourself in Melo Petersburg." After Richard finished speaking, he stopped looking at this guy and looked up at Villette.

Navrette nodded at Richard, then announced, "It seems that this trial has come to a conclusion. So, the charges against Mr. Vash will now be handed over to the Oracle for the final decision."

Richard looked at the Cardinal of Oracle and Judgement with his eyes slightly narrowed. While this huge machine was running, Richard's pupils also turned vertical at the same time, as if he wanted to detect something.

It's a pity that the energy contained within it is so huge that Richard can't see its internal structure clearly. As he stared at this energy flow for too long, he felt a slight pain in his eyes.

Navillatte noticed Richard's behavior, but he didn't say anything.

Soon the cardinal stopped decreeing, and a decree appeared in front of Villette.

"According to the verdict of the Cardinal of the Decree, Mr. Vashé—"

"guilty."

Funina was happy that she had removed this cancer from Fontaine, and she also became famous. She immediately issued an oracle: "Guards, take Vashie away!"

The audience in the audience was still immersed in the trial. Some of them found that the trial had come to an end before they could come to their senses.

"I don't know what happened, but the "Serial Missing Girls Case" is now completely over..."

"We have witnessed history. I never thought the culprit would be this sanctimonious guy."

"Don't you think that the secretary-general next to Lady Funina is very handsome?"

"By the way, do you still remember the report about Lady Funina's ring that caused a stir last week?"

"Elaborate..."

Just when the audience's topic had completely shifted to other things, Richard came to Vash who was about to be taken away.

The guards' escort stopped subconsciously when they saw that Richard seemed to have something to say to Vash.

The team leader frowned and said to the team members, "Why are you stopping? Hurry up, we have to escort this evil guy to Melo Petersburg today."

After saying this, the captain looked at Richard apologetically and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Richard, if you have anything to say to him, please apply to Melo Petersburg later..."

As soon as these words were spoken, the escorting personnel cast shocked glances at their team leader.

No, have you always been this brave?

I don't usually see you being so principled. You accept gifts more frequently than anyone else.

"That's not necessary." Richard shook his head and made way.

When Vashey was being pressed past him, Richard suddenly said, "I have a way to let you see Vinier again."

Upon hearing this, Vashie turned around and looked at Richard. No one expected that this old man in his fifties could burst out with such tremendous power. His power was so great that the two escorting officers beside him could not control him.

"Are you serious?" Vash's cloudy eyes stared at Richard, as if he wanted to confirm whether the other party was lying to him.

"I have no need to lie to you, but in return, I hope you can honestly report all the people involved with you." Richard said and looked at the captain again.

"No problem! I can tell you now." Vashie agreed without thinking.

The team leader's face suddenly darkened. He thought of a lot of things in an instant. There were many people involved with Vashie, including not only him, but also the people above him.

Over the past decade or so, these people have formed a huge interest group that is deeply rooted in Fontaine.

If Vashie were to confess all this in his hands...

The team leader couldn't imagine such consequences. Going to jail would be a small matter, but his life would most likely be in danger, and even his family would be implicated... So almost at the same time he reached out from his waist and took out his pistol, pointing the gun at Vashie, preparing to kill him to silence him!

In the captain's plan, after killing Vash, the second target would be Richard. Since he was already beyond help, the best way to replace him would be to kill as many as possible.

Richard did not make a move, but just watched the captain's index finger slowly bend, about to pull the trigger.

However, the expected gunshot did not occur. The squad leader's index finger turned into water and passed through the trigger. The ruthless look on his face had not yet dissipated, but his whole body had turned into a ball of water, soaking the floor. His uniform also lost its support and scattered all over the floor.

Richard had anticipated this, and when he said "there's no need for that" before, he didn't mean going to Melo Petersburg to apply for a dialogue with Vash, but that the captain in front of him no longer needed to be saved.

Richard had long discovered that the team leader had a small device carrying original fetal sea water hidden on his body. If the other party could come forward and surrender in time, perhaps Richard was in a good mood and could save his life. But unfortunately, the other party did not seize this opportunity, but instead made an even more unwise move.

Since he has already taken the path to death, he will no longer care about him.

Vash didn't even look at the captain. When the audience was panicked by this sudden scene, he said to Richard:

"Do you keep your word?"

"Of course it is."

Richard had one more thing to say to Vashie. Since he could let Vashie see his former lover, he could also let him see the girls who died tragically at his hands...

Volume 84: Chapter It's so long... so lonely... how long will it take...

Vash quickly confessed all the people involved, no matter how big or small, the scope and the extent of the involvement were staggering. He even confessed the Fatui's accomplices, which was another free credit for Linnet.

The impact of the Vache case went far beyond this. The scene of the captain of the guard at the Oprykle Opera House turning into water was seen by everyone present.

This naturally included the vast majority of media reporters in Fontaine. After only an hour, the news that the people of Fontaine could be dissolved into water had spread to everyone in the city.

This also made all the people of Fontaine realize a problem, that is, the prophecy of the destruction of Fontaine has now begun to come true.

The sea level in Fontaine will begin to rise, and the sinful people will gradually be submerged by the sea. Everyone will dissolve in the sea, leaving only the water god himself crying on the throne.

The sea level in Fontaine is indeed rising year by year, and people will indeed be dissolved by the sea water. When all this happened, the people of Fontaine were shocked to realize that the prophecy of the end of the world was so close to them.

However, prophecies of doomsday are prophecies of doomsday, life still needs to go on, and fun still needs to be had. For the people of Fontaine, living well in the present is obviously much more important than the unknown future.

What's more, there are tall people to hold up the sky if it falls. Although the people of Fontaine do not believe in Funina's wisdom, they believe in the wisdom of the Fontaine Academy of Sciences... Oh, the Fontaine Academy of Sciences is gone now, so let's believe in the wisdom of future generations.

In short, believe first.

"What did you say to Vashie that day? Why did he suddenly become so cooperative? Someone wanted to jailbreak him, but he refused to leave and even reported the people who came to rescue him." Funina suspected that Richard's ability was not only mind reading, but also brainwashing.